A heated debate in Congress over how to implement President Donald Trump's tax agenda is causing a rift among Republicans, with disagreements spilling into public view.
The core of the debate is whether to pass President Trump's tax reform wishlist in one comprehensive bill or to split it up into smaller pieces.
The White House is advocating for significant tax changes, including eliminating taxes on tips and extending the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, a bill President Trump signed into law during his first term.
"Everybody needs to relax. It takes a lot," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, who favors a single bill, told reporters Monday.
In a press conference a day later, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, who chairs the Senate's Budget Committee, effectively dared his House colleagues to get the ball rolling on a comprehensive bill.
"Whatever you need to do to get the one beautiful bill, do it, do it now," Graham said. "You have my blessing."
Senate Republicans, led by Graham and Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, are considering a two-bill strategy that focuses on immigration enforcement and military funding but does not include tax cuts. Republican senators are aiming to reach a tax deal separately.
With a slim majority in the House, Republicans face challenges in uniting their members, particularly fiscal conservatives, who have concerns about the potential deficit increase from the proposed tax cuts.
Some, like Rep. Ralph Norman, R-SC, a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, are pushing for deeper spending cuts to offset the tax reductions. After a Republican Conference meeting Tuesday, Norman told reporters his desire was to see cuts as high as $5 trillion.
Democrats, led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, however, are staunchly opposed to the Republican budget plan. They have repeatedly warned that it could harm the middle class and require cuts to Medicaid.
The outcome of the legislative strategy remains uncertain, and ultimately it will be President Trump's approval that gets a bill across the finish line.
